Of Luck and Misfortune
by illutia mist
Summary: For NatsumeSeries Contest. A mission, a brunette, and a damn bill. What a nice combination to ruin his weekends.


**This is an entry to NatsumeSeries Contest. Submission starts on June 21 and ends on July 21. For further information on the contest, contact Vione or Romantically Loveless.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice and The World Ends With You-Twister lyric.**

**-x-**

**Of Luck and Misfortune**

**-x-**

Weekends.

Just by mentioning the single word, people could smile in glee. Having fun became the first thing in their list. They had all time to admire the world and enjoy their life for all day, doing whatever they want and going wherever they like, as long as they didn't have to think about the responsibility that would greet them the next Monday.

But for some people, it was just the same with ordinary days.

No leisure time. Just work and work.

Especially for those who had similar jobs to him.

Natsume Hyuuga was now standing in front of an old café that was located deep inside a narrow gang, hidden from public area. Upon staring at the café's appearance, he furrowed his eyebrows.

It looked old and faded, and there were a few holes in the dirty sunshade. Dust clouded the windows. The name of the café, which was painted on the wall on top of the sunshade, also almost lost one word. The 'k' letter had lost its two diagonal lines and the word that supposed to be spelled 'Sakura' turned into 'Salura'.

"This is more like a neglected old house than a cafe," the raven haired man commented, shaking his head.

Nonetheless, he had a mission to be done in this place.

Apparently, his superior got an information that there would be a transaction between the drug dealer they had been targeting all this time and one of their clients in this cafe. It wasn't a wonder if the villain chose this place since it was located in a quite hidden area (not to mention its ruined appearance, which obviously wouldn't attract anyone to take a look inside). Natsume himself never realized there was a café in the place until now.

Not that he was happy about it.

Thanks to whoever that informed his superior about it, his weekends were cancelled until he finished spying on their target and found out where their big boss was hiding.

Natsume sighed and ruffled his hair.

Well, if there was nothing getting in the way, he was sure he could finish it in no time, which meant he could spend the rest of his weekends slouching on his bed while watching television and drinking a glass of beer. Just by thinking about it, he was impatient to finish the mission soon.

Straightening his composure, the man stretched his hand to the rusty doorknob. He wrapped his fingers around the round lump, turned it, and pushed the door open.

The sounds of bell chiming and calming music were heard when he opened the door. Natsume stepped inside and looked around, taking in the café's interior. To his surprise, it looked clean, unlike its outside appearance. Indeed, the wallpaper had been torn here and there, but it was free from dust. The wooden chairs and tables were also clean, though their conditions were pathetic. The surface of the wood had peeled off and there were two chairs and one table which had one of their legs broken.

He raised an eyebrow at the sight, wondering how the place could stand until now despite the view of bankruptcy he sighted in front of him now.

"Welcome to Sakura Cafe!"

The raven haired man averted his gaze to the counter when he heard a cheery female's voice.

Standing behind the cashier desk was a brunette clad in clean pink maid uniform. Her hair was tied into two low pigtails, her hazel eyes sparkling in delight as she smiled widely at him. "May I help you?" she asked.

He stared blankly at her for a while and then nodded. "One black coffee please."

The brunette's smile widened. "One black coffee will be coming soon! Anything else?"

"Nope. Just that."

She blinked. "Oh, okay. Please take a seat then!" she said before turning and walking away, disappearing at the corner which he thought was the way to the kitchen.

Natsume went to a seat near the window and sat on it quietly, his eyes roaming around the room once again. Warm brown dominated the area, with a little touch of cream color on the ceiling. The floor was covered by a maroon carpet which color had faded, a few holes in the material.

He sighed at the sight. The place was indeed in the edge of bankruptcy. He wondered if the brunette was the owner and also the only worker at that place, since he didn't hear nor see other person in there beside her.

His mind stopped wondering when he heard sound of footsteps coming to his direction. Looking up, he found the brunette walking toward him with a smile on her face, a tray in her hands.

"Here's your black coffee, Mister!" She beamed as she moved the white cup from the tray to the table in front of him.

The man nodded and peered down to the black liquid, seeing his own reflection swimming on its surface. Looping his forefinger around the ear of the cup, he brought it close to his lips and sipped it. The hot, bitter liquid touched his tongue and swam down his throat. A soft sigh came from him as he pulled the cup away.

"So, how is it?"

He popped one eye open and found the brunette still standing beside him with an expecting smile.

"Hn," he responded, putting down the cup on the table. "It tastes like coffee."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "It is a coffee."

"Indeed."

The brunette rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving him drinking his coffee alone.

She was half way to the counter when the bell chimed again and a man in his twenties walked in. Upon hearing the bell chime, Natsume looked up, sipping his coffee. He couldn't help but smirk inwardly as his eyes followed the new guest's movement, or he should say…his target.

"Welcome to Sakura Café!" the brunette greeted, skipping to the new guest's table. "May I help you?"

The man, without looking up, gave her a curt nod and said, "I want a black coffee."

"A black coffee it is! Anything else?"

"No."

"One black coffee will be coming soon!" The brunette grinned before taking off to the kitchen again.

Natsume continued observing his target in secret, his gaze watching the man closely, aware of even the smallest action the male did. Tapping his finger on the hard surface of his cup, the crimson eyed man waited for another target to walk in. _Come on, come on_, he chanted inside his head, impatient to finish his task soon.

The brunette came back to the new guest and placed his order on his table before moving back to the counter. The man pulled the brim of his cap down, as if trying to hide his face, and then drank his coffee.

Not long afterward, the bell rang again and an older man in black business suit came in, a black case in his right hand. The brunette was about to greet him when he waved his hand at her and walked to his destination.

Sipping his coffee, Natsume's eyes flickered to the new male. Like a hawk watching its prey, his eyes glued to the man, observing his every movement from the front door until the male arrived in front of the previous guest. The man immediately sat down, not bothering to greet the other guy.

The young raven haired agent quickly took out a mini camera from his pocket and took a few photos of the two men from behind his jacket.

Not realizing being spied at, the newest guest placed his black case on the table and pushed it in front of the man who was wearing a black cap, his lips moving a bit. After that, the man with black cap shoved his hand into his blue baseball jacket and took out a small brown bundle.

Natsume kept on taking photos from behind his sleeve while pretending to sip his coffee and look somewhere else once in a while. He could see his target trading the bundle for the black case from the corner of his eye. The man with cap opened the case a bit and peeked inside, a satisfaction smile gracing his face before he closed it again. He then trailed his gaze back to the business man and gave him a big grin.

The man in business suit shoved the brown bundle he got in exchange into his jacket and stood up.

Upon seeing this, Natsume stopped taking picture and inserted his mini camera back into his jacket. He drank the rest of his coffee while keeping his eyes on both of the men. The man in business suit nodded before turning away and walking to the door, leaving the target alone once again.

Natsume took out his wallet, intending to pay for his coffee and preparing to walk out of the café anytime. But how surprised he was when he didn't spot any cash in there. All he could see occupying his wallet were his credit cards, identity card, and two pieces of bill.

He cursed under his breath.

He glanced at the man and saw him lifting his right hand asking for his bill. The brunette smiled in understanding, took out a paper and pen from the drawer at the counter, and scribbled down something.

Realizing he had to take a quick action before he lost the man, Natsume got up from his seat, smoothed his jacket and paced to the cashier desk.

Feeling someone approaching her, the brunette looked up and raised an eyebrow when she saw the raven haired man standing in front of the counter. "Yes?"

He faked a cough and then leaned his body a bit toward her. "…Do you happen to…receive credit card payment?" he asked in a low voice.

She blinked. "No."

He sighed. "Can you make an exception? I don't bring any cash right now…"

Her eyebrows bent down.

Uh oh. A bad sign.

"No," she growled, all traces of kindness gone. "You must pay with cash. I don't give a damn about the credit card."

Natsume rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe how old fashioned the way she was thinking. "Seriously, most of the shops receive credit card payment these days."

"I'm not the same with them. Credit card payment is the same with debt. I won't tolerate any debt," she insisted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

The young man gritted his teeth in annoyance and leaned his face more to the brunette, saving just three centimeters of gap between them. "Listen, young lady," he hissed. "I'm not just an ordinary man that comes to enjoy coffee, okay? I'm in an important mission and I appreciate it if you can help me now. I'm just trying to save people like you from the invisible danger."

"Ooh, are u one of the bad polices? Those who are trying to get free food using their status?" she mocked out loud, placing her fists on each side of her waist. "Tell you what? I'm not afraid. I'll just have to call other police and report this if you try to threaten me."

A loud sound of chair being pushed roughly cut off their conversation. Natsume turned his head to the direction of his target, only to find the man already running to the door with the black case in his hands while cursing under his breath. He sent a sharp look at the young agent before vanishing behind the door.

"Shit!" Natsume cussed, turning to catch up with the man before he lost him. But when he was about to reach the door, a strong force on his right arm restrained him from getting out of the café. Another curse came out of his mouth as he turned his head to glare at the person that held him back from finishing his mission, and also the one who ruined his entire plan for weekends.

"Pay first!" The brunette barked, hands clutching his arm tightly.

"As a good citizen, you should be helping me in this important mission, not getting in my way!" he remarked, completely losing his patience. "And I'm not a police!!"

"I don't care! You have to pay me!"

"Tch!" He pulled his arms with more strength and successfully got it freed from the brunette's grasp, even though it made the female stumble a bit because of it.

He didn't care. After all, it was her fault that the man panicked and ran away.

Natsume ran out of the café, hoping the man hadn't run too far from that place. He could hear another footstep behind him, followed by an angry female's shouts as he ran through the narrow gang, but he ignored it.

His concern at the moment was the man, his target. If he lost him now, he would lose his chance to finish the case once and for all.

He stopped running once he was out of the narrow gang. Panting lightly, he looked at his left and right in franticness, looking for a glimpse of the suspicious figure he had memorized before. But the result was zero, zilch, and nada.

"Hey! Don't you think I'll give up that easily!" came the familiar shout from behind him.

He growled, hands curling into fists.

It was all because of the woman and her damn bill.

-x-

"…_You lost him?_"

Natsume Hyuuga was pissed off beyond belief right now.

Holding his cell-phone close to his ear, he fixed a deathly glare at the brunette who was busy moving back and forth in front of him and tidying things. He couldn't believe he just lost his target because of a damn bill. He had no choice but come back with her to the café before she could make more commotion in public area.

"That's not my fault," he grunted, fingers tapping on the table. "Apparently, there's a stupid female getting in my way." He got a glare from the brunette.

"_How did she get in your way? Dancing naked in front of you?_" came the taunting voice of his cold female superior.

Natsume scoffed. "Hell no. She insisted me to pay the bill with cash and wouldn't let me go until she got what she wanted."

"_So? You could just pay it and keep a _low profile_._"

"I don't bring any cash. Besides, I've tried to negotiate with her. She's the one that declined to cooperate, and instead accused me of being a bad police. Who won't run when they hear there's a police witnessing their forbidden transaction?" he argued.

"_You're an agent, not a police._"

"Tell her that."

He could hear an exasperated sigh on the other line of the phone.

Natsume rolled his eyes. It should be him who sighed in frustration. If it wasn't for the brunette, he would have found their main target by now, which meant the case should have been closed, his job should have been finished, and he could have his weekends.

"_Did he see your face?_"

"I hope not," he muttered, eyes taking a glimpse at the brunette who walked out of the office door with an old brown coat dangling on her left arm and a bag in her right hand. When his eyes met hers, her eyebrows rose and she gave him a confused look. He looked away in boredom, causing the brunette to frown. "Say, if he happened to know my face well, what would you do about it?"

"_Well, if he happens to be aware when he sees you next time, then we have to replace you with someone else_," the caller said calmly.

That statement raised his interest. Straightening his body on the seat a bit, he asked with hope, "Can you replace me with another agent now?"

"_Sure, but we'll cut your salary by twenty five percent for not being able to finish this mission and for being lazy._"

He slouched back to his seat and pressed his lips into a thin line in irritation, his shoulders slumping in defeat after his hope was crushed down by the single sentence. "Tch. You gave me no option, didn't you?" He clicked his tongue.

"_There's no wrong in devoting yourself for public safety_," she quibbled.

"Ha. Ha. I'll make sure I'll dedicate myself to it for the whole of my life." Sarcasm coated his voice.

"_That's what I wanted to hear from you._"

His eyes narrowed. _Damn you, Imai._

"_Anyway, just go and fix the mess you have caused. I'll see if I can do something about it, but don't count on me too much. Have a good weekend._" And the line went dead.

"Like I'll count on you," he grumbled, flipping his phone off.

"Who is it?"

He looked up and found the brunette standing in front of the counter. The old brown coat hugged around her and it looked big on her small figure. When he looked closely, he could see two small holes in the end of the coat.

This time, Natsume really wondered if she was just stingy or really in need of money that she didn't bother to buy a new coat or do some renovation to the cafe.

"No one. Closing the café already?" he asked, standing up and shoving his cell-phone into his pocket.

She nodded. "It's no use to open it until night anyway. There are barely people coming here."

He rolled his eyes. "I know why."

She sent an irritated glare at him. "Shut up," she hissed and then walked to the door, followed by the male. "Besides, I have other things to do. I also have a life, you know."

"Chasing those who don't pay for their orders?" he drawled while stepping out of the café, closing his eyes as he felt the cool afternoon breeze touching his skin. He sighed in contentment.

"No. I have another job to make sure I have an extra income aside from the café business," she replied, strolling out after him and locked the door.

He glanced at her through his shoulder. "Why don't you sell this place instead of overworking yourself? I'm sure you can save some money and get a better place to open the café if you really want it."

Confusion struck him when he saw her casting him a contempt glance. "I'm working to keep this café alive," she muttered as she walked passing him, clutching the coat tighter around her.

Natsume turned and furrowed his eyebrows. "Why should you?" he questioned, taking a few long strides to catch up with her.

"None of your business," she grunted. "I won't tell someone I don't know about my personal life. I don't even know your name."

"I'll tell you after you tell me yours."

"I can't believe you."

"Okay. Fine." The male raised his hands in submission. He knew the girl had a point there. He also wouldn't give his name to strangers, not with his identity as an agent who was working behind the screen.

After the small argument, the rest of their journey through the narrow gang was filled with an awkward silence. Natsume didn't feel bothered with it, but apparently the brunette did, from how often she kept glancing at him along the way.

He, of course, could feel every glance she threw at him from time to time, but decided to ignore it. He was sure they would go into another argument if any word ever slipped out of the tip of his tongue. He knew it from the bad impression both of them had since she made him lose his target.

The two of them finally reached the end of the gang and stepped into a wider area. At this point, they stopped and stayed still for a while, watching the vehicles move back and forth in front of them.

Natsume looked up and watched the orange color that dominated the sky. Tiredness dawned upon him all of a sudden. The urge to take a shower and lay on his comfortable bed was even stronger than before. Without thinking again, he turned to the left and took a few short steps forward, the image of his beloved apartment already infiltrating his head.

"Wait! I still have an unfinished business with you!"

He lifted one hand and waved at her, not bothering to turn back. "I told you. I'll pay you later."

"I don't believe you! You might just say it to assure me, but I know you won't come back to my café to pay for it after this!"

Groaning quietly, he finally turned to her with an irritated look. "I am a man of my words."

The brunette crossed her arms in front of her chest and fumed. "Not convincing enough."

He grounded his teeth, eyes staring at the brunette sharply. He was already having a bad mood after his mission failed and, now, he really wanted to go home and enjoy his weekends as long as he could before the annoying superior of his called him again and ruined his short holiday. But this brunette, sure enough hadn't felt satisfied just by ruining his plan, had to hold him here and worsen his temper.

"Then what do you want?" he rumbled.

"Your name, your phone number, whatever, as long as I can contact you again."

A scoff. "Are you a stalker?"

She growled. "Is it wrong to be cautious in case if you'll avoid me later?"

"I told you-"

"Just give me your damn name and phone number."

He sighed. "Seriously, I have never met any shop's owner or worker as crazy as you before…"

She gave him a huff. "I also need money to live," she said. "And be quick. I still have another thing to attend to. I don't have much time like you."

A scowl showed up on his face. "Hell, I won't give you any information about me except if you give me yours."

"Why should I?" she challenged, jerking her head up a bit.

Bending his eyebrows, he turned and walked away from her. "Bye then."

"Hey!!"

Natsume didn't stop walking. He smirked to himself, feeling satisfied to be able to infuriate the brunette even though it didn't wipe out his foul mood entirely. For the first time in his life, he finally found something interesting to do aside from reading his manga collection, laying on his beloved bed, and finishing his work, though it might just last for this moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to meet or confront the brunette again next time, well, after he paid his debt of course.

"You!!"

He heard sound of running footsteps, before he was caught by surprise when something bumping onto his right arm hardly. "What the-?!" He flinched at the impact and turned his head to the suspect's direction, only to find the brunette standing with her back to him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing??" he scolded her while rubbing his right arm.

The woman then turned to him with a sly smile on her face, arms stretching out with his cell-phone wrapped safely in her hand. "Thanks for the cooperation." She grinned as he snatched his cell-phone from her.

Suspicious, the raven haired man glared at her before he looked down at his phone, eyes narrowing when he saw nothing on his screen. _There must be something_, he thought while eyeing the entire small form of his cell-phone in doubt. "What did you do?" he growled, his attention still on his cell-phone. He swore he would kill her if something happened to it, seeing how important the thing was despite its small form and quite expensive prize.

She let out a creepy giggle, sending shiver down his spine. "Nothing that will harm you."

He cursed inwardly. "You…"

She giggled more and ran passing him. He quickly turned, his crimson eyes looking fiercely at her.

The brunette turned to him and walked backwards, hands behind her back. "Anyway, I have to go now," she said cheerfully and lifted one hand to wave at him. "Bye-bye, Mr. Bad Police." And then she turned her back to him and run to the opposite direction.

Oh, no. He was so not letting her go that easily.

"Don't run, you stupid woman!!"

"My name's Mikan Sakura!" she shouted, not even bothering to stop and looking back at him. "I'll see you later!"

It wasn't long until her figure looked smaller as the distance between them extended and finally disappeared among the pedestrians that crowded the sidewalk. All the time, Natsume was just watching the direction she went to in silence, containing his infuriation and anger inside him. Only when he realized the sky had turned darker and the brunette was gone from his sight did he growl.

"Mikan Sakura, you're dead."

Really, so much for nice weekends.

-x-

"'_Brain wave, main wave'_

_Psycho got a high kick_

_Collect and select_

_Show me your best set_"

A groan was emitted by the sleeping raven haired man as his cell-phone kept ringing and flashing on his bedside table. Instinctively, he buried his head under his pillow and attempted to continue dreaming again.

Heck, he wasn't yet ready for another tiring day. It was Sunday and he wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

"_Stick it up_

_Take it up_

_Step aside and see the world_

_Effect has defects_"

He finally couldn't stand the disturbing noise again and stretched his hand out to the bedside able, fumbling blindly for the source of disturbance.

"'_The sound flows, follows till they're home'_

_Dragged by the power of dreams_

_That power is yet unknown_"

"Ugh, shut up! Damn it!" came his muffled irritated groan.

When the tip of his fingers finally touched a familiar metallic cold surface, he grabbed the thing and brought it under the pillow where his head was hiding. A moment later, he lifted the pillow off his head and stared at his cell-phone in confusion.

There, showing up on the screen, was a row of numbers he didn't know.

Natsume furrowed his eyebrows at this, twisting his brain as he tried to remember if he knew whose number it was. The call stopped for a few moments as he was deep in thought and then it rang again after five seconds. Overwhelmed by curiosity, the raven haired male gave up and decided to answer the call. Whoever the person was, there was a chance he/she just called a wrong number.

Holding his cell-phone to his ear, he gave out a small yawn and groggily greeted, "Hello? Who's this?"

"_Hey! Do you know what time it is now, Mr. Bad Police?_"

_Oh, man_.

"How the hell did you get my number?"

"_Eh? When I snatched your cell-phone yesterday. I used it to make a brief call to my cell-phone. Hehehe…_"

…_Damn. So that was what she did to my phone yesterday._

"What do you want?" he moaned and lay back on his bed, closing his eyes as he endeavored to sleep again.

"_Waking you up._"

Silence.

"Well, thanks for the call," he said and was about to pull back and end the call when he heard her plead.

"_Wait!! I have to wake you up because I have important news!_"

He raised an eyebrow and brought his phone back to his ear. "You better be right."

"_I'm serious!_"

"Okay." He rubbed his face and sighed. "Shoot."

"_Well, do you remember the man at my café yesterday? The one who ran away after I mentioned you're a police?_"

His target.

"Uh-huh. Why?"

"_I saw him._"

Natsume's mind was blank for a while as he tried to take in the information. When his brain finally could absorb it, he bolted up from his bed and stared at the wall in front of him in surprise. The sleepy powder in his eyes had gone to nowhere, and all that was left inside him was a passion to finish his postponed mission.

Jumping off of his bed, Natsume made a quick stroll to his closet and opened the wooden door. "Where did you see him?" he asked, taking out a black shirt and pants and making his way to the bathroom.

"_Um…I'm now in…uh…District 9 Block 4…?_"

He rolled his eyes, hand turning the doorknob open. "I'm not asking about your whereabouts."

"_I'm following him now._"

"…What??" he choked out upon hearing her innocent answer, hand slipping off the doorknob as he hissed, "Are you kidding?? Do you know that he's a dangerous criminal??"

A snort came from her. "_I don't care. He also didn't pay for his drink yesterday._"

Natsume couldn't help but had his jaw hanged open slightly after she uttered her reason. He couldn't believe there was a stupid person who risked herself just to get the not so much money. Really, was the thin layer of paper more important than life to her?

The urge to hit her head at that time suddenly invaded his mind. But since she wasn't there for him to hit, he slapped his forehead and rubbed them in frustration instead. "You stupid midget!"

"_Hey! I heard that!_"

"Whatever!" He opened his bathroom door harshly and stepped inside. "Stay there and don't go near him! I'll be there in thirty minutes!"

"_I don't want to! I'll lose him if I don't follow him…Ah! He's walking towards Block 5!_"

Dumping his clothes on the bathroom counter, he emitted a dangerous growl. "Don't move from your spot, even an inch. I swear I'll make you regret if you do that."

"_But-_"

He hung up on the phone and placed it on the bathroom counter next to his substitute shirt. After that, he headed to the shower, taking off his clothes on his way. A curse was uttered from him as he turned on the shower and the first droplet of cold water made contact with his skin.

"Stupid woman."

-x-

"I bet you have the tendency to ruin everything, don't you?"

Mikan scowled beside him. "What? I'm doing you a favor by tailing him. You should be thanking me, not talking as if I ruin your day."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "You did ruin my weekends," he muttered and peeked out of the pile of woods which hid them from the enemies' sight.

Standing twenty meters from their position was a big, old warehouse that seemed to be used as a place to store unused things. Besides of the woods, there were also steels, rusty irons and some discarded households on the large field that surrounded the building. Two guards, wearing black leather jacket over their white shirts, black pants and black glasses, were standing in front of the entrance. Their heads craned to the left and right every second, eyes scanning the area to make sure no intruder was there.

But apparently, they missed two people who were arguing quietly behind one of the piles of logs.

"I don't think so. You're the one who ruined your own weekends," she hissed, hands on her hips. "You could just continue sleeping if you wanted. I wouldn't force you to come here. I just called you since I thought you're interested in that man and determined to chase him yesterday."

He clicked his tongue and continued glancing at the warehouse. "Hell, yes. He's my target, idiot. If it's not because of you, I could have just kept a low profile and arrested them yesterday. I could enjoy the rest of my weekends and wouldn't have to be here by now."

"So you're a police?"

"I'm not."

"…Then who are you?"

"Someone who doesn't want to be close to the annoying people, especially you."

A growl. "Jerk."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He pulled his head back and fished out his cell-phone from his pocket, his thumb expertly pressing the numbers he had memorized since a year ago. He then pressed 'dial' button and brought the rectangular thing to his ear, eyes gazing to the brunette beside him whose face looked irritated and confused at the same time.

"Who are you calling?" she questioned, moving closer to him.

"None of your business." He caught her cute pout as he said this and quickly averted his eyes away from her to concentrate back on his mission.

"_Yes, Imai here. Who is this?_"

"It's me," he said in a low voice and peeked out of the logs again. "Someone contacted me about seeing the target and now I ended up outside an old warehouse in District 9 Block 6."

"_Are they holding a transaction there?_"

"I don't know. I haven't gotten into the warehouse yet. There are two men guarding the entrance."

"_I see. Try to sneak in and get some information about what they're doing there. In the mean time, I'll come out with a plan._"

"Don't take too long. I might be dying when you find me. It seems there are more guards inside the building."

"_Do I care?_"

He grimaced. "Damn you."

"_Just go. Do what you have to do and I'll do mine._"

He ended his call, turned on silent mode, and shoved his cell-phone back into his pocket. "Time for action," he murmured as he walked passing the brunette, ready to skip over to another pile of logs beside them.

"Hey! Where are you going??" he heard her ask.

"Sneaking in," he answered simply and peeked out of the logs, making sure the situation was safe before running to the back of the other stack of logs. He turned to face the brunette and said with a grim face, "Go home. It's dangerous from here."

She frowned. "I won't. I have come all over here and I won't go home until he pays his debt to me."

He growled. "Just go home. You don't belong here."

"I won't!"

Natsume threw her a glare and turned away, ready to go behind the third pile of logs. "Suit yourself. But you won't go anywhere."

"Hey!" She stomped on the ground in annoyance, but the raven haired man didn't care.

Without turning back, he left her fuming and complaining to no one but herself.

-x-

"So, how was it going yesterday?"

"Another success transaction may I said."

Natsume took in a soft, deep breath as he pressed his back against one of piles of crates in the spacious space. Sneaking into the warehouse wasn't as hard as he thought. After moving from one pile of logs to another, he found the back door which was just being guarded by one man. It wasn't hard for him to knock the male out and slipped in. He was glad to see heaps of crates everywhere inside the room, which meant he could hide behind one of them and observe the situation before he took any action.

Crouching down, he risked a peek over the side of the mounds of crates and saw a man sitting on a large crate with a half-burnt cigarette dangling on the corner of his mouth, two men standing behind him, guns in their hands.

The raven haired man trailed his gaze toward the last male in front of the mafia looking like man.

His target, skinnier and smaller than the smoking man, was sitting on a smaller crate, still with the same cap he wore to the brunette's café yesterday. Beside the crate he was sitting on was the black case he got from the transaction he had before, also on the same day.

Natsume's lips formed a crooked smile.

Now all he had to do was just to wait for another instruction from his superior, and his mission would be over soon.

"Is it going smoothly?" the mafia looking like man (whom Natsume suspected to be their big boss) said, holding his cigarette in between his forefinger and middle finger and pulling it out of his mouth. He then flicked it, causing its ashes to drop on the dirty floor. "No interruption?"

The smaller man's shoulders went rigid. He fell silent.

"Well?"

"I…think there's a police there at that time…I-I don't k-know…" he stuttered. "I…I was about to…pay for my drink and go when the waitress suddenly accused a raven haired man of being a police. I ran as fast as I could after I heard that."

Their boss smoked the cigarette harder and pulled it out of his mouth, heaving a white smoke in the air. He then threw his cigarette on the floor in front of him and stepped on it, spinning his foot while adding pressure to it, averting his anger to the thing.

"You fool!" he spat. "Why didn't you make sure the place was safe first?! What if he's really a police and waiting there for you so he could track our secret meeting place down and arrest us?!"

"I…I…I'm sorry…" The smaller man bent his head in guilt.

The big man looked down at him in disdain. "You should be lucky you're able to escape, or I would hunt you and have your head dangled on my wall now."

_He will soon_. Natsume smirked inwardly and drew his head back. Pressing his back against the crates again, he lifted his right arm in front of him and pulled the sleeve down, staring at his wristwatch.

It had been fifteen minutes since he parted from the brunette and sneaked into the building, but the expressionless leader of his hadn't called and informed him about her plan. Natsume thrust his hand into his pocket and took out his cell-phone. Staring at his own reflection on the screen, he was trying to figure out what he should do next. A sigh escaped from his lips as he opened his message box and typed a new message for his superior.

She better figured out a plan soon before the guard he had knocked out was conscious. He would be doomed if that happened.

A few seconds later, a loud bang was heard, snapping him out of his thought.

"Boss, we found this girl lurking behind a heap of empty cans! It seemed like she was trying to sneak in!"

Natsume stilled.

_What?_

Chill ran down his spine as he heard the news. Behind his ribs, his heart was pounding quickly. The worst anticipation came into his head as he tried to get over his surprise.

_Don't say it is her…_

With a difficulty, he swallowed and braved a peek to the circle of men on the other side of the wall of boxes he was hiding in. His eyes widened upon seeing Mikan struggling in the guard's grasp. Her mouth was being covered by the guard's large hands, her shouts muffled. Her feet didn't stop kicking, though it did nothing to free her from the situation she was in now. The man did wince when her feet made contact with his shins, but that wasn't hurt enough to make him let her go.

The said boss looked at the guard and the brunette in turns, hands in his pockets. "Now, now, who is this beautiful girl?" he asked, smiling wryly. Mikan glared at him sharply, warning him not to come near to her. "She has a nice glare."

"We don't know. We caught her peeking at us from behind the cans, so we just brought her here in case if she's a spy or something," the guard said and looked down. "Stop struggling, you midget!"

She kicked his shin really hard this time and it caused him to groan in pain.

Their leader chuckled. "Feisty, are we?"

She shot him a glare. Well, that was all she could do at that time.

Pulling his head back, Natsume heaved a quiet sigh and rubbed his temple. Really, he had warned the girl not to follow him and just go home, but she seemed like to disobey people's warn and get herself into the trouble instead.

She just had to make the situation worse.

Now, how in the hell should he deal with six men while saving her?

"YEOUCH!! SHE BIT ME!!"

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!!"

Sounds of crates being kicked and moved rudely were heard.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!!"

"LET GO!!

Clenching his jaw, Natsume stared his cell-phone and sent the message he had typed before. He then shoved it into his pocket and took a deep breath.

He could just keep silent and let her die, but that wasn't his style.

He had to save her.

_There's no time to be wasted_. He took a brief gaze around the place where he was hiding and found a crane truck neglected on the opposite side of the room, a crate hanging forgotten in the end of the crane. There were other stacks of crates beside it that separated the thing from the men's view.

He smirked.

_Perfect._

Natsume glanced at the men from his hiding place. It seemed all of them were too occupied in silencing the brunette. Well, there were just two guards who were struggling with her, the others just watching her in amusement as she kept on fighting for her freedom.

He used this chance to sneak behind scattered crates on the way to the huge vehicle, crouching as low as he could so he wouldn't be seen. When he was almost arrived at his destination, he quietly leapt forward and pressed his back on the piles of crates, his breath quickening.

"Who's there?!"

He pressed his lips together and held his breath for a while, his heart rate speeding up as he wished their attentions would be back on the brunette soon.

"What's wrong?"

"…I thought I see a shadow moving there a second ago."

"Maybe you're just dream-OUCH! She bit me again!!"

"Hey! Stop it, little girl!"

"I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL!!"

Thanking the brunette inwardly, he allowed himself to breath again and focused his attention to the crane truck. He made his way to the vehicle and climbed inside it, grinning in satisfaction when he saw the key attached to the keyhole. Staring at the joysticks and buttons in front of him, he licked his lips and stretched his hand in excitement. He turned the key and wrapped his fingers around the joysticks.

It was time to start the game.

Natsume carelessly turned the direction of the crane to the piles of crates that divided him and the men, causing it to crash the mound of crates, making them fall to the direction of the men.

"What the hell?!"

"Watch out!!"

He saw three of the men got buried under it, including the man with hat, while the rest watched them in silence and bewilderment.

Natsume jumped out of the crane truck. He took the chance to fish out his gun from his jacket and shot the guard that held Mikan in his leg. The guard whimpered and loosened his held on the brunette before intuitively squatting down and clutching his wounded leg. The raven haired male then moved his gun to other guard who was trying to grasp the brunette's arm and opened fire at his shoulder.

It hit right on the target and the man drew his arm back in pain, his weapon was thrown out his grasp.

He smirked. All went according to his plan.

What he didn't expect was the boss already had his hands on the brunette, one hand around her shoulders while the other fisting her long auburn hair rather harshly. Natsume aimed his gun at the man, but quickly averted it away from his previous target as he caught another movement from the corner of his eye. He released a shot and it pierced the shoulder of the guard who got shot on his leg earlier.

Shifting his gun back to the bad men's leader with an emotionless face, Natsume pulled the trigger when he saw the man picked up a gun from the ground beside him. He had hoped to hear miserable whimper from the man, but was caught surprised when nothing happened.

Then something clicked in his head.

He forgot to reload his gun.

He was out of bullets.

A stinging pain struck his right shoulder in the next second and, at the same time, the sound of metal clatter on the floor echoed in the place. Cursing, Natsume lifted his head and glared at the man who still had an arm around the brunette and, this time, a gun was pointed at her head.

"Out of bullets?" the man mocked, a smug grin on his face.

Natsume smirked. "Well, your boys were tougher than you that I had to use the rest of my bullets on them," he teased, shifting his crimson eyes to the brunette who looked at him with wide eyes. He could see fear in the hazel eyes as she witnessed the upper right part of his black shirt darkened by liquid that came out of his wound.

"You underestimate me." The haughty man snickered, pressing the mouth of the gun more onto Mikan's temple. "Can't you see the situation you're in now?"

He shrugged his unharmed shoulder. "More or less…not as good as I wanted it to be," he drawled, averting his gaze away to his empty weapon which was laying coldly on the floor beside him.

Truth to be told, he wasn't at the advantaging position. He was weaponless, his shoulder was injured, and the man had a hostage. What chance did he have?

Cold sweats started to form on his forehead as the pain on his shoulder increased. Eyebrows furrowed, he gritted his teeth, attempting to hold back a groan. He refused to show any sign of weakness, for it would only bring satisfaction to his opponent's face. They would just use the opportunity to torment him more.

A few beads of sweat ran down on his temples as the raven haired man swallowed another moan down his throat.

"Hehehe, right…just stay there…" He shifted his gaze back to the man and saw him stepping backwards to the entrance, dragging Mikan with him. "Don't move…let me go…and she will be fine…"

On impulse, Natsume took a step toward them, resulting in another shot in his thigh. Losing his balance, he fell forward and quickly used his hands and his unscathed leg to support his body. Short breaths came out of his parted lips as he looked up at the man, just to find the male sneering and clutching the brunette closer to him.

"I know I can't trust you," the man said, proud of his work. "I intended to let her go after I reach my car-"

"I don't trust you," Natsume cut him off, staring sharply at him. "Let her go this instant."

The villain's sneer widened. "Look at your pathetic self. What can you do, wounded boy?"

Natsume grounded his teeth and tried to stand up. As soon as he did, the man shot him in his other leg. Sharp pain shot through both of his legs, causing the young agent to land on his hands and knees again.

The criminal chuckled. "Ops, sorry. My finger slipped."

"What?! You did it intentionally!!" he heard the brunette scream.

"Stop struggling or I'll make a hole in your beautiful head!"

"Don't you dare!" Natsume shot his head up in fury, his crimson eyes flashing dangerously as he fixed his eyes on the brunette. The female whimpered and had her eyes shut close as the mouth of the gun was pressed onto her temple harder.

The injured man curled his hands into fists in anger and helplessness, his sight getting blurrier as blood kept oozing out of his shoulder and legs. He shook his head, trying to cease the hazy feeling away. _No, not yet_, he willed, his breathing turning heavier.

He heard the man laugh, so cruelly, so evilly. "I think it's time for me to say 'farewell', isn't it?"

Natsume couldn't retort, too busy to breath and get a hold of his consciousness. All of a sudden, he felt like there was a heavy weight being dropped on his back, and it got heavier as seconds passed. Black dots appeared in the edge of his sight and his arms and legs started to gave up as the pain spread throughout his body.

"Farewell then…"

The man's voice went fainter and fainter as his body met the cold floor, his eyes shutting close.

"Mr. Bad Police!!"

In the next second, he was completely swallowed by the darkness.

-x-

He awoke to the sharp scent of antiseptic stroking his nostrils. Opening his eyes slowly, he was met with a blinding light from the ceiling, which forced him to close them again in the next second.

"What the hell…?" he muttered, lifting his right arm reflexively to cover his face from the white light. While he did so, he felt sharp, throbbing pain in his right shoulder. He winced, a small whimper escaping from his lips.

As his consciousness returned bit by bit, he could feel other painful twinges in his left thigh and right shin. Not only that, he also felt sore and tired all over his body, as if he just went through a hard training.

Well, he did just go through a tough day, which, now he got annoyed as he remembered the cause, he could have avoid if it wasn't for a stupid brunette who got herself involved in the problem.

Yes, the stupid brunette; the source of all his hardship and calamity.

All of this would never happen if he never stepped into her café. It would be better if he just watched the transaction from afar since the beginning and followed the man once he was out of the café. Therefore, he wouldn't get these injuries and have to lay on the bed right now. He could have enjoyed his leisure time after the mission was over.

He felt sorry for making himself miserable.

A dull sound of door being closed disturbed his remorseful thought. Lifting his arm a bit from his eyes, Natsume turned his head to the direction of the door, eyebrows wrinkling when he saw Hotaru Imai's stoic face; his cruel, cold superior.

"So, you're finally awake," was the first sentence that came out of her lips as she took a seat beside the bed he was laying on. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap," he muttered while glancing away, irritation coating his voice. "How did I get here?"

She raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You're still annoying even though you're beaten up."

"Whatever. I wouldn't be like this if only _someone_ came faster."

"Don't blame me. Blame the distance. Did you think we could just zap to your place in a blink of eye after you sent the message?"

"Well, you could have taken some action after I called you."

"I do. I've tried to contact the police in District 9, but it still took some time since there's a procedure if you want to catch a criminal," she countered smoothly. "Now that reminded me of something. I had to search through your things to get the film which contained all proofs of the illegal transaction."

Natsume snapped his head to her in disbelief. "You came to my apartment and sorted through my things??"

"Yes." She raised an eyebrow in challenging manner. "I had no choice, did I? That wouldn't happen if you came back to headquarter with the photos instead of walking straight back to your apartment yesterday."

He groaned, irritated because the female said the truth. Yesterday, he was too tired to even think of going back to headquarter first to give her the photos. Without any proof, they couldn't arrest the criminals. Rules were rules. There were regulations in doing anything. It was unavoidable for anyone, even for public security providers like them.

He covered his face with one of his hand, stiffening a bit as the pain in his shoulder throbbed again. "I get it. Just tell me how I ended up here."

"We arrived there a few minutes after you sent me a message. Sure, we had a hard time when the man threatened us that he would kill the hostage if we came closer." Hotaru then scoffed, her arms crossing over her chest. "But who did he think he is? He was outnumbered at that time. In no time, we managed to free the hostage and arrested him easily. We found you almost bleeding to death too. Oh, by the way, good job in paralyzing his men. That's really helpful."

He rolled his eyes. "You're welcome."

Hotaru gave him a brief formal smile and stood up. "I think that's all I wanted to say. By the way, the others are waiting for your appearance at headquarter. They wished you well soon so they could throw a party for your great job as soon as you're out of the hospital."

"Tell them to buy many beers."

"No drinking. No smoking."

"Sucks."

She shrugged and turned away, walking to the door. "I guess I better leave you to rest now. You're still in recovery and it will be troublesome if you can't take part in another mission soon."

"I don't mind to get a few days off to recover my wounds."

She opened the door and glanced at him. "Well, I mind," she stated before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind.

Natsume stared at the door for a while and sighed. _Finally, peace_. He lay his head back to the soft pillow and exhaled in contentment. Closing his eyes, he tried to welcome the darkness once again and jump into another deep slumber.

These two unlucky days had been tiring for him and he did need more rest in order to rejuvenate his energy. It was true that he was wounded and ended up in the hospital in the end. But at least, he could have more time to rest in this place. His superior also agreed that he should rest more to recover.

This time, he felt like in heaven.

No disturbance. A bit pain, yes. But at least he was allowed to loosen his muscles and lower his guard for a while.

For the first time in these two disastrous days, he felt blessed.

"MR. BAD POLICE!!"

…And it had to end when the ear piercing voice disturbed his quiet moment and the door to his room was being slammed open rather rudely.

Groaning, he reluctantly turned his head to the door and, just like what he predicted, the brunette was standing there with wide eyes, her chest moving up and down in fast motion from all the running she just did.

And here he thought the thin misfortunate thread that connected them had finally been broken and he could have his peaceful days back.

Before she could open her mouth to shout again, a nurse tapped her shoulder and scolded her for running and shouting in hospital. The brunette just smiled sheepishly and nodded, before she made the nurse walked away in satisfaction by promising not to repeat her reckless action again.

After the nurse was gone, she walked in and closed the door gently. She then glanced at him and strolled to the seat beside the bed, smiling apologetically at him as she sat down on it. "How are you feeling?"

"Good…before you came here that is," he murmured, lowering his eyelids and resting one arm on his forehead in exasperation. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting you," she said without hesitation. "I was worried. You lost so much blood at that time."

"That wouldn't happen if you just did what I said and went home."

She scrunched up her nose. "I couldn't just leave you there. You're outnumbered."

He glanced at her. "And you think you're helping?"

Biting her lower lip, Mikan lowered her head in embarrassment. "…No…"

Silence dawned upon them. One said nothing for she regretted making the male end up on the hospital bed, while the other was too tired to accuse the brunette for all the unluckiness he experienced. It wasn't like the woman did it intentionally. She just did what her head told her to do.

Letting out another tired sigh, Natsume closed his eyes and said in a drowsy tone, "Forget it. It's already in the past anyway. What done is done."

"Hm…"

Now, she really made him feel guilty for scolding her.

Exhausted, he pushed the guiltiness back in his mind and emptied his thought. All he wanted now was just to shut his mind and go to a dreamless slumber. He was so damn exhausted right now and he didn't want to worsen it by adding another problem to his mind.

He would deal with them later after he recovered.

"In the end, he didn't pay me."

He groaned. _No, not again_.

"I'll let that go, for this once. Your bill too."

He sighed. _Great_.

"You seem tired." Her hand felt so cold on his cheek, yet so nice. "Why don't you take a rest?"

He hummed sleepily, his body relaxing.

"I've caused you so much trouble. As my apology, I will visit you every day until you're well."

He disagreed with the idea, but couldn't find his voice to decline it. Her feathery touches felt so good, lulling him to sleep.

He did realize one thing before his consciousness slipped away.

He would meet her often in the future, whether he liked it or not.

-Fin-

**Yes! Finished on time!**

**I thank Vione and Romantically Loveless for holding up this contest. This is really a great opportunity to challenge myself in doing fics with a few conditions.**

**Lastly, thanks for reading this story. Check out others too! The link is in my profile! And as usual, comments will be appreciated :D**


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